DSWD to distribute P1k each for Marawi evacuees’ Ramadan food

In this Friday, June 9, 2017, photo, evacuees stay at a crowded evacuation center on the outskirts of Marawi City, southern Philippines.  (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is fast-tracking the distribution guidelines for a one-time cash assistance of Marawi City evacuees observing Ramadan.

In a statement on Tuesday, DSWD secretary Judy Taguiwalo said the funds for the cash aid will be downloaded to social welfare field offices as soon as the guidelines are finished.

“Our goal is to distribute the assistance as soon as possible so the evacuees may start using it,” Taguiwalo said.

The cash assistance of P1,000 per family, which will be coursed through the DSWD’s assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), is intended for the evacuees’ purchase of food during the Ramadan season.

“Most of our fellow citizens from Marawi are Muslims. We are now processing to provide them cash assistance because it is Ramadan. They can use the assistance to buy fruits [for when] they are breaking their fast,” Taguiwalo said in an earlier statement. During the month-long Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.

The assistance will be given in addition to family food packs and non-food items already being provided to the evacuees. “This cash assistance is just one-time as we continuously provide them with food supplies. But we are also preparing the provision of additional assistance once they can finally go back to Marawi, such as tents which they can use as temporary shelter,” Taguiwalo said.

According to the DSWD, as of 2 a.m. on Tuesday, 65,198 families or 316,684 individuals have been displaced from Marawi City and Marantao in Lanao Del Sur, with 3,074 families or 14,772 persons staying in 68 evacuation centers, as the clashes between the military and self-proclaimed ISIS supporters in Marawi entered into its third week.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu, meanwhile, also expressed the agency’s commitment to donate confiscated logs once rehabilitation is underway in Marawi. JE